A year after the events of Unikitty's ball, everything felt so natural. Rex started to feel happy again. The happiest he's ever been. His heart was warm, and filled with love.

Marie hummed happily as she walked hand in hand with Rex. She didn't pay attention to the staring eyes, but Rex noticed as soon as they entered the city.

Everyone stared, knowing that the princess of Stardust, and Syspocalypstar's defender were a couple. Marie didn't feel the need to announce it publicly. The citizens would know.

Rex was admittedly a bit nervous at first, wondering how his reputation would be affected. In the end, he didn't care. He loved Marie more than anything.

Exactly a year later, the two got married. True love had never been more obvious. Rex was now a prince, and maybe with his ego, he easily adjusted to being called 'Your Highness'.

He was far from perfect, but he had an even bigger role to play. Syspocalypstar needed him, in a lot of ways.

He looked at Marie, trying to distract himself from the staring eyes and his own thoughts.

"I wonder what Kid and Lucy wanted to tell us."

"I hope it's not something bad." Marie sighed, "I'm still tired from what happened last time."

In the last year, the couple was involved in a lot of adventures and conflicts. Those were stories for another time. Though, some were often difficult to tell.

"I'm sure they're okay." Rex replied, "Things have been quiet all week. Thanks to me, of course. I scared off all the bad guys."

Marie giggled, "You sure did, tough guy. I truly believed you could."

Marie shifted, hugging his arm. She blushed slightly, smiling with endless joy.

"Because you're my honey, and you're the best guy in the entire universe."

"And you're my starlight, the best woman in the entire universe."

Marie kissed his jawline, "You're so sweet."

"Only to you."

The couple looked up the nearest hill, seeing Emmet and Lucy's house above ground. Rex felt weird, remembering that the simple house was once his idea. Rexcelsior was much better, and much bigger. Despite Emmet and Lucy's house being pretty big inside.

Rex walked in front of Marie , making it to the front door. Marie walked up beside him, "You're fast. I thought you were supposed to be older than me." She joked.

Rex laughed, "Well, you gotta admit...I look good for thirty three."

"But you do have your cute little eye wrinkles."

Rex narrowed his eyes, proving Marie's point.

"Eye wrinkles?"

"I said cute, tough guy."

Marie knocked on the front door, as Rex fixed it's posture. "I'm not cute. I'm cool."

"Right, of course."

Emmet opened the door, in a visibly happy and energetic mood. "Guys!"

"Emmet!" Marie hugged him, "Ah, I know it hasn't been that long but it feels like forever."

"No, you're right. It does." Emmet smiled warmly, "I missed you and Rex."

"Finally you acknowledge me." Rex joked, giving Emmet a fist bump. "What's up, kid?"

"A lot actually. Lucy and I need to talk to you about something." Emmet moved aside, "Come in."

Marie and Rex stepped in, examining every detail of the living room. Marie waved to Lucy, who sat on the couch. "Hey, Wyldstyle!"

"Hey, Marie. Rex."

"Lucy." Rex teased in an annoyed tone.

"Oh!" Marie reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out a small slightly transparent pink bag. "I baked cookies, so I brought some for you guys. There's eight in here, I think."

Emmet stepped in front of her, taking the bag in his hands. "Thanks, Marie! You're so sweet for thinking about us."

Marie and Rex sat on the second couch across from Lucy. Emmet sat down next to her, putting the bag of cookies on the coffee table.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, um...we wanted to tell you this before anyone else. We know you can keep a secret."

"A secret?" Marie responded, "Aww, you keep secrets from us?"

"We really had to wait to tell you this one."

Lucy adjusted her bangs, "Emmet's absolutely adorable, and my husband. So, you know I've been wanting the perfect future with him."

"Yeah." Marie smiled, "And I want a perfect future with Rex too."

Rex held Marie's hand, "So, what's that mean?"

Emmet and Lucy looked at each other, the both of them showing a sweet smile.

"We're having a baby."

Marie and Rex perked up, looking surprised.

"You're kidding!" Marie sounded.

Lucy shook her head, "Nope, we're serious. I already have a baby bump!"

"Stop!" Marie covered her mouth, "You're actually serious?! You're not just messing with us?!"

Lucy lifted up her hoodie, showing her small baby bump. The tight-fit blue top showed it well.

Marie jumped with joy, "Oh my gosh! You're actually having a baby!"

"Definitely." Lucy lowered her hoodie, "I've had the worst morning sickness."

"They say if you have terrible morning sickness, that it's a girl." Marie smiled.

"You don't really believe that stuff, do you?" Lucy laughed.

"It's like...based on science or something. If your baby ends up being a girl, I told you so."

Emmet laughed, "The doctor says everything looks good. So...I guess the next step would be to pick out names."

"Aww, I'm so happy for you!" Marie clapped.

"Yeah, congrats guys." Rex spoke up, "You two definitely deserve this."

Marie looked at Rex, thinking about how Emmet and Lucy were starting a family. Her smile suddenly faded. She leaned into Rex's arm.

"Thank you guys for telling us. How will that baby know us then?"

"Well, I guess Uncle and Aunt are the closest you can get." Emmet said, "I don't know if Rex would be comfortable with them knowing the truth. Oh, we can be like brothers! That would be so cool!"

"Yeah." Rex smiled slightly, "I'm okay with that."

"Me too." Marie added, her tone a bit less enthusiastic.

Rex easily picked up on that, but chose to stay silent about it. He would ask her later.

"So, when are you planning to tell everyone else?"

"Sometime next week. Unikitty's hosting a small get-together, so we decided that would be the perfect time." Lucy answered, "And I know I'm always sick and all, but I know it'll be worth it. Emmet and I have known each other for way too long already. Couples unusually have children much earlier."

Marie hummed, "Think of it as extra years just on your own. After the baby is born, you'll never be alone again...but that does sound nice."

Marie twirled her hair, the light in the room shining off her pink ends. She appeared lost in thought for a while.

Rex couldn't help but notice, and he also stopped to think about how far Emmet and Lucy had gotten in their relationship. They were undoubtedly perfect for each other, but with Rex being himself, he saw his relationship with Marie as much better.

He always picked up on when something wasn't right, though he wasn't always sure what Marie was thinking. Marie was still her own person, despite the deep connection with her husband.

"Thanks again for letting us know." Rex spoke up, "I know we just got here, but Marie and I had some things planned out for today."

"Oh, that's no problem." Emmet smiled, "You guys need the time together."

"Yeah, thanks for understanding." Rex looked at Marie, who appeared distracted by her own thoughts.

———————————————————————

Rex and Marie returned home shortly after their visit to the city. It didn't take as long as they initially expected.

Marie entered Rexcelsior first, twirling to look at Rex following behind her.

"That was fun!" Marie bounced.

Rex closed Rexcelsior's entrance, "Yeah, we needed a date. Even if it was just a simple one."

"A visit to the arcade was perfect for today. It was kind of cloudy."

Marie walked towards the living room, as Rex continued following after her. He loved seeing how happy she was. It was a big change from her mood earlier in the day.

She entered the living room area, sitting down on the couch. She let out a sigh, as she took off her pink colored heels. "I should've worn more comfortable shoes. These are pretty, but painful."

Rex sat next to her, smiling brightly. "Want me to massage your feet?"

"Can you?" Marie perked up, "You have such strong hands."

Rex chuckled, pulling Marie onto his lap, "And you like that, huh?"

"Stop! Ugh, so embarrassing." Marie laughed at his joke.

"I'm just kidding, Starlight." Rex stopped to think about what he was going to say, "But now that I've gotten you in a good mood, I need to ask you something."

"Hmm?" Marie tilted her head, "Ask me something?"

"Yes, my Starlight." Rex fixed his posture, holding Marie's hands. "You seemed upset while we were at Emmet and Lucy's place. After they told us about Lucy being pregnant."

Marie blinked, looking away. She realized that was true, but didn't want to admit it. Her eyelids lowered, as she looked down.

"I...I'm fine." Her mood dropped.

"No, you're not. I know you." Rex replied, "Tell me what's bothering you. Are you worried about being an aunt? Or maybe buying things for the baby?"

Marie shook her head, leaning against Rex's shoulder. "I don't think that's it."

Red raised an eyebrow, "Then what else could it be?"

Marie looked into Rex's eyes, showing a look of sincerity. She knew what it was, at least she was certain enough, but she was worried about what Rex might think.

"I'm excited to be an aunt." She started, "And we'll get a chance to buy cute things for Emmet and Lucy's baby...but..."

"But?" Rex blinked, "But what?"

Marie turned away, "I don't think I can say."

"You can tell me anything. You know that."

Marie hesitated, but finally spoke her feelings.

"I think I'm jealous."

Rex blinked, "Jealous of what?"

"Of Emmet and Lucy, and I feel so bad saying it." Marie hugged herself, "I want a child too. I've always dreamed about being a mom. I know, I know! We still have a lot of stuff we want to do, but I can't help but feel like I'm missing out."

Rex was shocked, "Marie...you want a...baby?"

"We've never talked about it. I know, because we've never needed to." Marie responded, "This is kind of out of nowhere..."

It was true that Marie and Rex never discussed the topic of starting a family before. Rex once had dreams like Emmet, but he forgot about them during his time as a villain.

The memories of them didn't return to his mind until that moment.

"You-"

"I know you probably don't want any kids." Marie interrupted, "That's fine, I'm just happy to have you. I should be accepting of my life."

Rex processed her statement, chuckling.

"Starlight, come on, when'd I ever say that? A kid would be cool."

Marie perked up, "Really? I just...assumed you'd much rather make up for lost time."

"I'd rather make up for lost dreams." Rex grinned, "I have you, and our many adventures to come. After we've done everything we've wanted, why don't we try out this parenting thing? It'll be fun."

Marie's lit up. She really wasn't sure if Rex would agree. She hugged him tightly, enjoying his warmth. "I love you."

Rec stroked her hair, "We still have a lot of time. Emmet and Lucy's kid is just going to be a bit older."

"Umm hmm, but not too old." Marie waved her finger, "I want our kids to be best friends."

Rex smiled softly, "Okay...how about two to three years?"

"That's perfect." Marie leaned into his chest, "And it still gives me time with you."

Rex chuckled, hugging her. "I love ya a whole lot until then!"

"I'll love you way more, tough guy!"

"Oh, you Wanna make this a competition?!"

"Yeah!"

Rex and Marie argued playfully. They loved each other more every day, and hoped to explore every planet together. The universe felt like there's ,and their love was foretold in the stars above.

Many of the citizens called them 'love's inspiration'. A truly wonderful and romantic title. There was no couple like Rex Dangervest and his Princess Marie.

Thunder suddenly sounded, making Marie jump.

"Woah." Rex sounded, "That was loud. You okay, Babe?"

Marie nodded, "Yeah...I just hate loud noises."

Rex embraced her, "I guess the cloudy weather really meant something. You're super lucky you live with me in a spaceship. The power won't go off here...unless we're hit directly."

"Aww, don't say that! Now I'm even more scared."

"It's like a one in a zillion change. We'll be fine, Starlight." Rex held her hands.

Marie felt more comfortable, smiling slightly.

"Okay."

The couple failed to notice the figure staring at them from the nearby window. His coat of deep purple swayed in his wind, as it began to drizzle. He observed Marie, and only Marie.

He examined Marie's hair, before stepping back slightly. Under his hood, his hair glowed, as a purple light illuminated his face.

"What are you doing?" A voice sounded from behind him.

The hooded figure turned towards his friend, who didn't bother with the rain.

His appearance of blond hair, with green ends completely visible. His clothing also entirely consisted of shades of green.

"That woman..."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Look at her, Zeke."

The one named 'Zeke' moved forward, looking at Marie's features. He stood emotionless.

"She's a human."

"Exactly! She was made like me! I'm not the only human xylen anymore. I could finally be with someone."

Zeke narrowed his eyes, "There's not much there. She's only half, Elliott. One of her parents was just a poor, unfortunate human. Probably manipulated by a pink xylen."

"She's still xylen. It's the closest I'm ever going to get. I need to get her somehow." Elliott replied.

Zeke sighed, "Let's at least try a different time, please? I'm sick of this one."

Elliott thought about it, "Fine...but I still want her in it."

"If it'll make you happy...I guess."

The two vanished in a flash of light. Rex and Marie knew very little about the future they had yet to encounter.